Main Cast: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Alan Mowbray, Sara Allgood, Gladys Cooper
Release Year: 1941
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 125 minutes
Plot
Acting spouses Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh star in Alexander Korda's tragic tale of the adulterous love affair between Emma Lady Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson. The story begins in 1786, as the young and vivacious Emma Hart (Vivien Leigh) marries Sir William Hamilton (Alan Mowbray), the British ambassador to the court of Naples. Seven years pass and British naval hero Lord Horatio Nelson (Laurence Olivier) arrives at court to gain the king's assent in the war against Napoleon. Lady Emma and Lord Nelson fall in love. When they return to England, Emma and Nelson unashamedly begin to live together, although Nelson's wife refuses to divorce him. When the war takes a bad turn, Emma convinces Nelson to resume command and Nelson goes off to lead the victory at Trafalgar, where he is mortally wounded. After Nelson's death, Emma falls into depression and despair. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Once chosen by Winston Churchill as his favorite movie, That Hamilton Woman was initially conceived as something of a propaganda piece for the then-prime minister, who wanted a film about England's past that was applicable to its current situation vis-à-vis Nazi Germany. Director Alexander Korda framed his political commentary in an intensely romantic melodrama, and gave it a sumptuous production that well deserved its Oscar nomination for Art Direction. While the story drags a little, it never dawdles for long, and a tearful parting or a moving piece of oratory always comes along in just the nick of time to keep things going. If the script seems somewhat dated and obvious today, the performances of the leads are timeless, and the chemistry between Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh is startlingly real. Olivier has never been more dashing, and he imbues Nelson with an innate nobility that is painful under the circumstances. Leigh's performance is arguably the best of her career, a radiant, vibrant portrait of a woman whose wit and coquetry mask a deeper intelligence, capability and courage. She wrings the most out of every scene, making Hamilton a complex character whose flaws are as appealing as her virtues. Although Olivier appeared in several films over the next few years, Leigh did not appear onscreen again until 1946's Caesar and Cleopatra. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
